Sebastopol committee weighs manhole‑cover and utility‑box art; staff to deliver focused map by March

Members of the Sebastopol City Public Arts Committee spent a substantial portion of the meeting discussing storm‑drain and utility‑box artwork and how jurisdictional ownership affects feasibility. City planning staff said they are coordinating with Eric in public works to produce a focused digital map of storm‑drain inlets and paintable utility boxes and aim to have that map ready for the March meeting.

During the discussion, several committee members questioned whether painting small manhole covers would produce enough public value compared with commissioning larger murals. One member urged caution about ‘‘diluting’’ the committee’s funds on many small pieces and suggested prioritizing high‑pedestrian corridors such as Ives Park, Florence Avenue and the library/art‑center area, where pieces would be more visible.

Staff noted some facilities are Caltrans‑owned and therefore require external negotiation; Windsor’s prior experience with Caltrans was cited as an example of a slow, months‑long permitting process. To reduce staff workload, members were asked to forward a short list of candidate streets to narrow the mapping effort.

The committee agreed to keep the storm‑drain idea on the radar, ask staff for the map and related counts, and return the item to the March agenda once the mapping work is complete.